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Then, when the Babylonian pressed him, he agreed, but promised to undertake the war with only the Romans. And so the prisons were searched, and as many Romans as were found in them were led out and armed; and about three thousand were gathered, whom he took and proceeded against the Persians and, joining battle, was victorious; but neither he nor those with him decided to return to Chosroes anymore; for they feared that the barbarian would imprison them again, and all the more because he had experienced their valor. So they took to flight, and Chosroes sent a multitude in pursuit of them; and those who were sent, having caught up with the fugitives, although many times more numerous than they, fewer than the fugitives were able to escape, the rest having fallen there and been subdued by Roman hands. Sclerus, therefore, and those with him returned to the Roman borders. But learning that Phocas was already reigning and had begun his usurpation, he went over to Phocas, demanding to be a partner both in the war and in the empire itself. And he accepted the partnership, and should they achieve their aims,552 he assigned to himself the queen of cities and the rule of most of the nations and lands, while to Sclerus he allotted Antioch and Coele-Syria and Phoenicia and Palestine and Mesopotamia, and he secured the agreements with oaths over sacred objects. Emboldened by these things, Sclerus approached Phocas. But he, having caught him in his nets, stripped him of his imperial insignia, and imprisoned him and set a guard over him. And having brought the army that was with him under his own command, he clung to his usurpation more strongly. Sclerus, however, providing for himself some safety for the future in case of failure, before being arrested by Phocas, secretly arranged for his son Romanus to flee, as if deserting to the emperor; who was received with great joy by the ruler and was immediately honored as *magistros*. Phocas, having placed a certain portion of the army under the patrician Delphinas, sent it to Chrysopolis opposite the queen of cities, while he himself with the remaining force arrived at Abydos. However, the emperor with a Russian force suddenly came upon Delphinas, who was encamped at Chrysopolis 553 (for having formed a marriage-alliance with Vladimir, the ruler of these people, over Anna his sister, he had received an allied force from there) and easily defeated the enemy and, having captured Delphinas himself, impaled him. Then he went to Abydos with his brother Constantine; and now the opposing armies stood face to face, and Phocas was arrayed in front of his own, while the emperor Basil, riding around on horseback, encouraged the opposing force; whom Phocas, upon seeing him, spurred his horse against him, having given it full rein, judging that if he struck him down, he would have won the contest. But he had not yet advanced far from his own men, when some say he rolled off his horse, and others that he turned aside to a certain hill and, dismounting from his horse, was stretched out upon the ground and immediately his spirit left him. Some, therefore, said that the man had been struck a mortal blow by someone. And the emperor Constantine also attributed his killing to himself; but this was an empty boast; for his body was not found to be wounded anywhere. But others thought he had been done in by a deadly poi554son, which also seemed more plausible; for Basil had prepared the poison, and his cupbearer, suborned by the emperor, offered it to Phocas. When Bardas fell, the army with him was scattered, and some were slain as they were overtaken, while others were taken alive and, having been arrested, were punished as it seemed good to the emperor. But he was different than before; for he had become arrogant and sullen in character and suspected everyone and was implacable in his anger. And not only did he show his arrogance to others, but indeed he was also vexed with the *parakoimomenos* and hastened to transfer the administration of affairs to himself. and

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εἶτ' ἐγκειμένου τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου κατανεύει μέν, σὺν μόνοις δὲ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὑπέσχετο τὸν πόλεμον ὑπελθεῖν. καὶ ἠρευνῶντο τοίνυν τὰ δεσμωτήρια, καὶ ὅσοι εὕρηντο ἐν αὐτοῖς Ῥωμαῖοι, ἐξήγοντο καὶ ὡπλίζοντο· καὶ ὡσεὶ τρισχίλιοι συνηθροίσθησαν, οὓς παρειληφὼς ἐχώρησε κατὰ τῶν Περσῶν καὶ συμβαλὼν νικᾷ· ἀναζεῦξαι δὲ πρὸς τὸν Χοσρόην οὐκέτ' ἔκρινεν οὔτ' αὐτὸς οὔθ' οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ· ἐδεδοίκεσαν γὰρ μὴ καὶ αὖθις αὐτοὺς καθείρξει ὁ βάρβαρος, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι ἐν πείρᾳ γέγονε τῆς αὐτῶν γενναιότητος. εἴχοντο γοῦν τῆς φυγῆς, καὶ ὁ Χοσρόης πλῆθος εἰς αὐτῶν ἐπιδίωξιν ἔστειλε· καὶ οἱ σταλέντες κατειληφότες τοὺς φεύγοντας, ἐκείνων ὑπάρχοντες πολλαπλάσιοι, μείους τῶν φευγόντων ἀποδρᾶναι δεδύνηντο, τῶν ἄλλων ἐκεῖ πεσόντων καὶ Ῥωμαϊκαῖς δαμέντων χερσίν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Σκληρὸς καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ἐς τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐπανεληλύθεσαν ὅρια. μαθὼν δὲ καὶ τὸν Φωκᾶν ἤδη βασιλειῶντα καὶ τυραννίδος ἀρξάμενον, ἀπονενεύκει πρὸς τὸν Φωκᾶν, κοινωνὸς ἀξιῶν εἶναι καὶ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῆς. ὁ δὲ καὶ τὴν κοινοπραγίαν ἐδέξατο, καὶ εἰ τῶν ἐφέσεων τύ552 χοιεν, ἑαυτῷ μὲν τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων ἀπένεμε καὶ τῶν πλειόνων ἐθνῶν καὶ χωρῶν τὸ κράτος, τῷ δὲ Σκληρῷ προσεκλήρου τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν τήν τε Κοίλην Συρίαν καὶ Φοινίκην καὶ Παλαιστίνην καὶ Μεσοποταμίαν καὶ τὰς συνθήκας ὅρκοις καθ' ἱερῶν ἐμπεπέδωκεν. ἐπὶ τούτοις τεθαρρηκὼς ὁ Σκληρὸς πρόσεισι τῷ Φωκᾷ. ὁ δ' ἐντὸς ἀρκύων τοῦτον λαβὼν ἀφαιρεῖται μὲν αὐτοῦ τὸ σχῆμα δὴ τὸ βασίλειον, καθείργνυσι δὲ καὶ φρουρὰν αὐτῷ περιίστησιν. ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν δὲ καὶ τὴν σὺν ἐκείνῳ στρατιὰν ποιησάμενος τοῦ τυραννεύειν εἴχετο κραταιότερον. ὁ μέντοι Σκληρὸς προμηθευόμενος ἑαυτῷ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐξ ἀποτυχίας σωτηρίαν τινά, πρὸ τοῦ κατασχεθῆναι πρὸς τοῦ Φωκᾶ τὸν υἱὸν Ῥωμανὸν λάθρᾳ φυγεῖν παρεσκεύασεν, ὡς αὐτομολοῦντα τῷ βασιλεῖ· ὃς καὶ περιχαρῶς παρὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἐδέχθη καὶ μάγιστρος ἐτιμήθη εὐθύς. Ὁ Φωκᾶς δὲ ἀπόμοιράν τινα τῆς στρατιᾶς ὑπὸ τὸν πατρίκιον τάξας τὸν ∆ελφινᾶν εἰς τὴν ἀντικρὺ τῆς βασιλίδος ἐκπέμπει Χρυσόπολιν, αὐτὸς δὲ σὺν τῇ λοιπῇ δυνάμει ἀφίκετο πρὸς τὴν Ἄβυδον. τῷ μέντοι ∆ελφινᾷ ἐστρατοπεδευκότι κατὰ Χρυσόπολιν αἰφνίδιον ἐπῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ λαοῦ Ῥωσικοῦ 553 (κῆδος γὰρ πρὸς Βλαδιμηρὸν τὸν ἄρχοντα τούτων ἐπὶ Ἄννῃ τῇ ἀδελφῇ αὐτοῦ θέμενος συμμαχικὸν ἐκεῖθεν ἐδέξατο) καὶ ῥᾷον τῶν ἐναντίων ἐκράτησε καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν ∆ελφινᾶν χειρωσάμενος ἀνεσκολόπισεν. εἶτα πρὸς τὴν Ἄβυδον ἄπεισι μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Κωνσταντίνου· καὶ ἤδη ἀντιμέτωπα ἔστησαν τὰ ἐναντία στρατεύματα, καὶ τοῦ μὲν οἰκείου προετέτακτο ὁ Φωκᾶς, τὸ δ' ἀντίμαχον ὁ βασιλεὺς Βασίλειος ἔφιππος περιιὼν παρεθάρρυνεν· ὃν ὁ Φωκᾶς θεασάμενος κατ' αὐτοῦ τὸν ἵππον ἐλαύνει, ὅλην ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἡνίαν ἐνδεδωκώς, κρίνας, ὡς εἰ ἐκεῖνον καταβαλεῖ, ἔσεται τὸν ἀγῶνα νενικηκώς. ἀλλ' οὔπω τῶν οἰκείων προεληλύθει πολύ, καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτὸν ἐκκυλισθῆναι τοῦ ἵππου φασίν, οἱ δὲ εἴς τινα λόφον ἐκκλῖναι καὶ ἀποβάντα τοῦ ἵππου ἐκταθῆναι κατὰ γῆς καὶ εὐθὺς αὐτὸν τὸ πνεῦμα λιπεῖν. οἱ μὲν οὖν πληγῆναι παρά του καιρίαν τὸν ἄνδρα ἔλεγον. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ Κωνσταντῖνος ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν ἐκείνου ἐπεφήμιζε· τοῦτο δ' ἦν λόγος ἄλλως· οὐδὲ γὰρ τετρωμένον αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα εὕρητο οὐδαμῇ. οἱ δὲ φαρμάκῳ δηλητηρίῳ ἐδόξαζον κατερ554 γασθῆναι αὐτόν, ὃ καὶ μᾶλλον ἔδοξε πιθανώτερον· τό γέ τοι φάρμακον ἡτοιμάσατο μὲν ὁ Βασίλειος, προσέφερε δὲ τῷ Φωκᾷ ὁ τούτῳ οἰνοχοεύων, παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑποκλαπείς. πεσόντος δὲ τοῦ Βάρδα τὸ μετ' αὐτοῦ στράτευμα διεσκέδαστο, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐκτείνοντο καταλαμβανόμενοι, οἱ δ' ἐζωγροῦντο καὶ συσχεθέντες κατὰ τὸ δόξαν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐκολάσθησαν. Ὁ δὲ ἀλλοιότερος ἦν ἢ τὸ πρότερον· σοβαρός τε γὰρ ἐγεγόνει καὶ τὸ ἦθος ὑποκαθήμενος καὶ πάντας ὑπώπτευε καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐτύγχανεν ἀπαραίτητος. καὶ οὐ τοῖς ἄλλοις μόνον τὸ σοβαρὸν ἐπεδείκνυτο, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τῷ παρακοιμωμένῳ αὐτῷ ἤχθετό τε τἀνδρὶ καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἔσπευδε μετενεγκεῖν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων διοίκησιν. καὶ